Could walking and a Plant-Based diet help tame breast cancer?
NCT ID NCT04298086
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial investigates whether a program of regular walking and a plant-based diet can lower aromatase levels in overweight postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who are already taking an aromatase inhibitor. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either the exercise and diet intervention or standard care. The study also looks at changes in breast tissue gene expression and quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- exercise and plant-based diet
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that lifestyle changes help control hormone levels and improve quality of life for breast cancer survivors.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (43 participants) and may not prove that diet and exercise directly affect cancer outcomes. Results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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43 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2020
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with histologically-confirmed, HR-positive (ER and/or PR) stage 1-3 breast cancer * Completed anti-HER2 therapy, if HER2-positive * Postmenopausal status defined by lack of menses for 2 years, oophorectomy, or medical ovarian suppression * At least 3 months post completion of chemotherapy, if administered * At least 3 months post radiation, if administered * Receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy with an aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole, letrozole, exemestane) * ECOG performance status of 0 to 1 * Sedentary (i.e.,performing \<150 minutes / week of exercise structured moderate-intensity or strenuous-intensity) * Age ≥ 18 * BMI ≥ 27 * Able to achieve an acceptable peak baseline CPET, as defined by any of the following criteria and in the absence of high risk ECG findings or other inappropriate response to exercise as determined by the investigator: * Achieved a plateau in oxygen consumption, concurrent with an increase in power output * A respiratory exchange ratio ≥ 1.10 * Attainment of maximal predicted heart rate (HRmax) (i.e., within10 bpm of age- predicted HRmax \[HRmax= 220 - Age (years)\] * Volitional exhaustion, as measured by a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) ≥ 18 on the BORG scale. * Willingness to comply with all study-related procedures * Intact breast available for biopsy Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of metastatic disease * Any concurrent malignancy requiring active treatment with the exception of selective estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors * Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus on insulin therapy * Enrollment onto any other interventional investigational study except interventions determined by the PI not to confound the effect of exercise or diet on study outcomes * Mental impairment leading to inability to cooperate * Any of the following contraindications to exercise: 1. Acute myocardial infarction within 3-5 days of any planned study procedures; 2. Unstable angina 3. Uncontrolled arrhythmia causing symptoms or hemodynamic compromise 4. Recurrent syncope 5. Active endocarditis 6. Acute myocarditis or pericarditis 7. Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis 8. Uncontrolled heart failure 9. Acute pulmonary embolus or pulmonary infarction within 3 months of any planned study procedures 10. Thrombosis of lower extremities 11. Suspected dissecting aneurysm 12. Uncontrolled asthma 13. Pulmonary edema 14. Respiratory failure 15. Acute non-cardiopulmonary disorders that may affect exercise performance * Any other condition or intercurrent illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes the subject a poor candidate for study participation. * Nut or legume allergy * Concurrent participation in weight loss programs
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Limited Protocol Activities)
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Limited Protocol Activities)
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack (Limited Protocol Activities)
Commack, New York, 11725, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Limited Protocol Activities)
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Limited Protocol Activities)
Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Limited Protocol Activities)
Harrison, New York, 10604, United States
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